美国有线新闻 CNN 2012-11-16

 The first thing we are talking about today is the civil war in Syria.  Now, there are some signs that the conflict might be changing a bit.  The fighting in the Middle Eastern nation has been going on for 20 months now.  It started because some Syrians wanted changes to their government.  Like for their president to step down.  Different rebel groups have been fighting against the government.  This weekend, they officially formed a single coalition¹, and some analysts² think that a unified³ opposition⁴ can have a better chance for victory.  It`s been estimated that more than 35,000 people have been killed since the Civil War started, more than 400,000 have left their homes because of the fighting.  And that includes two brothers that Arwa Damon met for her next report.  Teachers, this is a personal account about the war.  We suggest that you preview it.  The younger brother who is 11 years old, was wounded in a rocket attack.  He lost one of his legs, that`s when his older brother, who is 21, made a promise that led them out of their home country.  Here is their story.

 

Like many other boys his age, 11-year old Abdurrahman (ph) wanted to be a professional soccer player when he grow up.  But like so many others in his homeland of Syria, the violence shattered⁵ his dream.

 

        After he woke up as just, we were just saying, I was crying.  I cannot (ph) control myself.  He said please don`t cry.  If you love me, don`t cry.

 

        And that is when Omar made Abdurrahman a promise, that he would walk again.

 

        He started to hang onto that idea.  So I`m going out, and he kept saying to me, when are we - when are we leaving?  Yeah, because once - every time they are fighting, jets come, he says, when are we leaving?  We should leave.

 

        Omar is now an expert at changing his brother`s bandages.  He started to save money for a prosthetic, but realized that it was going to take too much time.  He began asking around, and a group of visiting Egyptian doctors told him about the Global Medical Relief Fund, a small U.S. NGO, dedicated⁶ to helping⁷ children badly injured in disaster and war zones.

 

        Its founder⁸ Alyssa Montante was quick to respond.  But first, the brothers had to get to Turkey.  A car drove them as close to the border as it could, the driver`s last words "You are on your own now."  Omar`s arms were aching as he carried his brother and their three bags across the muddy field.  The brothers eventually made their way to Ankara in Turkey.  But the boys don`t have passports.  Their visas to the U.S. were denied, and now they are waiting to see if the State Department will grant them humanitarian⁹ parole.

 

        The most important thing that he is learning at this time, I think, it`s to be aware of everything, I mean to grow up his mind, I mean.  He`s not a child anymore.

 

Next up, a natural disaster in Venice, Italy.  Severe flooding has led to the deaths of several people there, 200 Italians have reportedly been forced out of their homes.  Venice is in Northern Italy, it`s a major seaport<sup>10</sup> and a popular tourist destination.  It`s famous for its canals.  So you might usually think of people riding down the street it boats, but this is anything but usual.  Two big weather systems combined together and drenched¹¹ the city.  Earlier this week, 70 percent of Venice was under water.  It was the city`s sixth highest water level in 140 years.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 shattered   

破碎的； 极度疲劳的

参考例句：

• He dropped the vase and it shattered into pieces on the floor. 他失手把花瓶掉到地板上摔碎了。
• The experience left her feeling absolutely shattered. 她在这次经历之后，感到彻底垮了。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

11 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》